White House Holds AI Summit

At a summit hosted on Monday, the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy gathered tech leaders from across the federal government to learn about current uses of artificial intelligence (AI) and discuss the technology’s future. The event focused on how the federal government invests in research and development, collects and provides vast data resources, and regulates the new technology.

In an effort to grow the department’s civilian workforce, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill to treat non-permanent employees as career workers when applying for internal, merit-based promotions at the Department of Defense.

Three Democratic Congress members sent a letter this week suggesting the government borrow private-sector practices to improve federal hiring and training in order to bolster the cybersecurity workforce.

Last week, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and 50 other House membersissued a letter to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regarding “fair chance hiring” in government and to continue to ease hiring for formerly-incarcerated individuals.

Following reports that several military bases have had to shut down childcare programs due to the hiring freeze, two Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (OGR) sent a letter requesting an exemption from the freeze.

In instances where a federal job applicant’s clean criminal history record is essential, agencies are able to request an applicant’s criminal or adverse credit history, according to recent guidance released by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Members of the Democratic leadership in the Senate are urging Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to carefully consider what will be included in the essential government funding bill that must pass next month, warning that they would shut down the government if any “poison pills” – such as funding for the proposed border wall – are included.

Although it insists it has no interest in holding up the program, a federal labor union is concerned with how the Department of Defense is rolling out its new performance rating system for civilian employees and is working to delay the release.